Blessings

The devil is at it again.  He’s got me worrying.  I’m reading all your posts of how thankful you all are this month.  (What a blessing, by the way!)  And I think of all the things I am thankful for—our family is healthy, we haven’t had any major struggles or sufferings.

Then I read blogs and news articles about other people who really are struggling and suffering.  People who are very sick; children who have cancer or leukemia; cities wiped out by natural disasters.  And that’s where the devil gets me.  I feel guilty for all the blessings God has given to me and my family.  And I wonder when struggles will come into my life.  And I worry what those struggles will be and whether our family will be able to smile under those circumstances.

My husband just reassured me that God tells us that we will encounter struggles in our life.  But God also gives us some very wonderful comfort, too, about those struggles.  He tells us in John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  We know that whatever we face, God has given us our eternal victory of heaven.  In Hebrews, we are also reminded that Jesus knows what we are going through.  “For this reason, he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”  (Hebrews 2:17-18)

Reading these passages I am reminded of a saying I see occasionally in people’s houses:  “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.”  I pray tonight that God helps me leave the future to him.  I can focus on all the blessings we have right now.  And I can thank him for all of you.  Your blessings and struggles truly help me see God's gracious hand at work.

Idle Hands

I have a friend who always starts his New Years’ resolution on the first Sunday of Advent.  (It’s the start of the new church year.)  While this may seem a little odd at first, I’ve come to realize he’s really doing himself a favor.  Since it takes three weeks for a habit to become routine, he’s already gotten his New Year’s resolution under the belt just when the rest of us are starting.  And, since everyone is talking about New Year’s resolutions around that time of year, he has reminder to keep going once the habit is formed.

Lately I’ve noticed that, when I’m not exhausted from chasing kiddos, during nap time I tend to spend a lot of time on the computer.  And usually I’m on Facebook.  It’s amazing (read the sarcasm here) how much time I can waste just catching up on people’s lives and playing a few games.  And then I wonder where my afternoon went and why supper isn’t ready on time.

Today God whacked me over the head yet again.  I realized how many of my friends could use a prayer.  (I’m sure all of you could!)  And so, my New Year’s resolution, which I’m starting today, is to pray first.  Once the kids are all napping, I’m going to spend a few minutes (or a lot of minutes) praying.  My house is quiet and, even if I’m going to join the nappers in dream land, prayers is a fantastic way to get myself ready for the next task.

As all good resolutions go, though, I’m going to need some help.  First, if you wouldn’t mind, send me a message to let me know you’d like me to pray for you.  You don’t have to tell me why; God always knows what you need.  Second, I’m going to need some reminders.  Maybe you wouldn’t mind asking me how my resolution is going.  Or maybe you have a good idea for a self-reminder that I can put somewhere in my house.

God doesn’t always give us concrete answers to our prayers, but I know that he wants to hear us and promises to listen.  So, keep your eyes open for God’s answer to your prayers.

Blessings!

A Good Reminder

My husband and I have had conversations with several parents in the past few weeks about their children’s behaviors.  The children range in age from toddlers to adults.  And yet, all of the conversations have been focused on how to get children to behave in the appropriate way.

I’m always surprised when people ask how I get my children to behave.  After all I spend much of my day reminding them not to poke each other in the eye; asking them to pick up their toys and clothes; putting someone on the step for hitting someone else; and the list goes on and on.  How should I know how to get kids to behave?

Then, when a woman at Target asked me how I kept my oldest two from running away from me while shopping (they were walking alongside the cart), I really had to stop and think.  I’ve never really had a problem with someone running off while shopping (although, I can see that this might be a problem VERY soon with number three!).  How do I get my children to behave?

The answer came to me as we loaded up in the van.  My daughter began singing and asked us all to join her.  We were singing various Bible songs—“Jesus Loves Me,” “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” “The B-I-B-L-E” and so on.

It really isn’t me (or my husband) who gets the children to behave.  (And to be truthful, they really aren’t my children.)  It’s the Holy Spirit working inside of His children, helping them to show love to one another, to share their faith, to listen and obey.

So what’s my role, then, as their Mama?  Can I just sit back and let them go, now that they’ve been baptized?  Wouldn’t that be nice?

Hopefully you already understand my role.  My role is to continue to remind them, again and again, what God-pleasing behavior is.  It’s to use the tools God has given me: His word, earthly discipline and LOVE.

My two oldest are starting to understand the ways of the world.  This evening, my daughter said to me, “Mama, you are being mean!”  My oldest son chimed in, “Don’t you love her, mama?”  I explained to both of them that sometimes it takes something that seems mean to show love.  I love my kids so much that I need to use discipline to correct the behavior so that it doesn’t continue and eventually lead to something much worse.

I’ve commented to more than a few mothers that I’m glad my kids behave when they are with other people, but that I wish they would occasionally behave so well for me.  As the woman in Target pointed out, I wasn’t really paying attention very well.  I sometimes become so focused on the difficult task of training up my children that I miss seeing them put their training into practice.  I pray God helps me see the wonders He is working everyday.